Wireless devices, such as cellular phones, communicate with other systems and devices via wireless communication networks. A wireless device connects with a wireless communication network by exchanging communications with an access node for that wireless network, such as a base station. The wireless device communicates with the access node using both control and access channels. Control channels are used to exchange control messages with connected wireless devices and each control channel may be shared among multiple wireless devices. Access channels are used for more bandwidth intensive communications, such as user voice and data communications, and each access channel can be used by one wireless device at a time.
Each access node on a wireless network has a limited number of access channels that the access node can allocate to wireless devices that are connected to the access node. As more access channels are allocated to various wireless devices the number of access channels available for allocation to other wireless devices is reduced. If communications are not being exchanged by a wireless device on an access channel, then that access channel does not need to be allocated to that wireless device and can be available for allocation to a wireless device that will exchange communications.